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How do you make music?
 

offline cx from Norway on 2008-12-17 15:38 [#02259378]
Points: 4537 Status: Regular



Do you sit for an hour or two randomly mashing buttons, or
maybe you sit for hours and days on end painstakingly
assembling your vision?

Some people say one should take GOOD time to make a song, as
in always come back to it, make it slowly and let it grow,
others just like to jam and post the session.

I'm a bit of both, but I must say most of my really good
tracks that I'm happy with, are made in less than 5 hours.
Usually this is because when something first captures me in
the baby stages of the track, I immediately get the picture
in my head and after that I just have to sculpt the vision
with the tools available.
I have gotten comments, and I have realized myself that
sometimes i should maybe work longer on tracks, but on the
other hand I find that the emotional charge gets less and
less of an impact the more I work on a song.
I have to like instantly create the track while it's 'hot'
or else I will be lost.

I dunno, I many times have to sit for hours on end just
plotting out a chord progression, but yeah.


 

offline pulseclock from Downtown 81 on 2008-12-17 15:42 [#02259380]
Points: 6015 Status: Lurker



i think it depends, sometimes you could make a song about a
whole life experience or something, or some fantasy world,
so, like any big event or world, you'd want to make sure you
give it every aspect. I like to think of Hangable Auto bulb
as a good example of this type of sound. It usually is just
about being caught up in the process. good little jams to
record that you have from ideas in your head are the best
way to pass time.


 

offline Chihiro from twins land on 2008-12-17 15:44 [#02259383]
Points: 4650 Status: Regular



mostly quick jams! I do have the occasional track on which
i might spend a day or two. But i always prefer to be
spontaneous, and stick to my first draft


 

offline Skink from A cesspool in eden on 2008-12-17 16:16 [#02259387]
Points: 7483 Status: Lurker



I take as long as I need and sometimes that will one to
three days spread over over a week or two. Sometimes I will
do a bit and come back to it a month later and finish it
off. I try to not pressure myself because if I lose the fun
of doing it then there is no point.


 

offline horsefactory from 💠 (United Kingdom) on 2008-12-17 17:39 [#02259393]
Points: 14867 Status: Regular



personally, I like to use a Drum machine programme, and just
let it flow man, whatever comes to mind, whatever you
feel... that's good poetry!!


 

offline JivverDicker from my house on 2008-12-17 17:54 [#02259395]
Points: 12102 Status: Regular



"others just like to jam and post the session" Please don't
post any old crap. It makes me not listen to other people.



 

offline BoxBob-K23 from Finland on 2008-12-17 18:13 [#02259397]
Points: 2440 Status: Regular



I have initial ideas that get me going, but usually it takes
a long time to make a proper track to completion. Often it
takes some 50 hours of work, sometimes more, sometimes less.
That means a few months of work (since I have other things
to do as well). One of my best tracks took like 6 months to
complete. But of course some tracks are finished in a few
hours... those are the exception, unfortunately.

In fact, I don't know if a track can ever be "finished".
There's just some point when you decide it matches what you
wanted to say, and you let go of the process.

I hate half-finished tracks, they accumulate like dust in
your room. Sometimes a spring cleaning is in order... and
sometimes you manage to pick the best part of some old idea
and transform it into something new. Recycling: saving the
planet.


 

offline ijonspeches from 109P/Swift-Tuttle on 2008-12-17 18:35 [#02259400]
Points: 7846 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



most of the time i like the 4 hour songs better too.
if the track stands the test of time, good, if not,
maybe theres something you can change when
skills improved.
also i usually start with the beat, because i find a melody
easier when i have kind of a direction to go.

what i really still do find hard is creating songs with
various melodies that really differ and take turns.
you all know when the key melody of your favourite tracks
skips to the part you dont like as if it was just there to
make you happy again when the good part returns.
so when i cant find a good counterpart i stick with a
repetition of the melody with different instruments
instead. does that make me a crap musician?



 

offline glasse from Harrisburg (United States) on 2008-12-17 22:56 [#02259427]
Points: 4211 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



in one sitting i can get a basic framework of a track going,
but i need to work with it several more times over the
course of a week or 2 at least before i would consider it a
finished mix. i do have tracks that i've worked on much
longer, or have been shelved for long periods of time before
trying to do something with again (months and years even).

if i am doing drones, improvised ambient or something that's
different. the whole point is to be visceral and in the
moment. if i am doing a whole arranged track however, there
needs to be time to really polish and refine it.

that being said there are people who are somewhat well known
that finish tracks in a very short period of time and make
it work.


 

offline cygnus from nowhere and everyplace on 2008-12-17 23:41 [#02259432]
Points: 11920 Status: Regular



maybe 10% of the time i have an idea thought up beforehand
of what the track will sound like. i just know if i stay at
it and dont get pissed because of whatever norms there are
that i will get dope shit...


 

offline pigster from melbs on 2008-12-18 00:04 [#02259434]
Points: 4480 Status: Lurker



i normally start off with an idea or so, maybe take a day or
two to extend it into a form of a song. after that, it can
take months to finish it off, which is terrible.


 

offline b6662966 from ? on 2008-12-18 00:12 [#02259435]
Points: 1110 Status: Lurker



Theres a great video of Richard James aka Aphex Twin on
youtube talking about his creative process, he also includes
some more technical info about how he sequences and so on..
check it out:

LAZY_VIDEO


 

offline b6662966 from ? on 2008-12-18 00:13 [#02259436]
Points: 1110 Status: Lurker



oops broken link, this one works...

LAZY_LINK


 

offline cygnus from nowhere and everyplace on 2008-12-18 00:15 [#02259437]
Points: 11920 Status: Regular | Followup to b6662966: #02259436



wow i havent seen that in maybe 10 years, wow
still know all the words :( :(


 

offline ijonspeches from 109P/Swift-Tuttle on 2008-12-18 05:12 [#02259454]
Points: 7846 Status: Lurker | Followup to b6662966: #02259436 | Show recordbag



good find,
i like it better than that rick astley song...


 

offline Brisk from selling smack at the orphanage on 2008-12-18 05:24 [#02259455]
Points: 4667 Status: Lurker | Followup to b6662966: #02259436



hahahaha jesus christ, i haven't heard that for a long, long
time... the horror!


 

offline Brisk from selling smack at the orphanage on 2008-12-18 05:25 [#02259456]
Points: 4667 Status: Lurker



oh and to answer your question, i turn on my Drum machine
programme and let the spice flow.


 

offline mappatazee from ¨y¨z¨| (Burkina Faso) on 2008-12-18 06:26 [#02259462]
Points: 14294 Status: Lurker



i let max msp do it


 

offline ijonspeches from 109P/Swift-Tuttle on 2008-12-18 06:57 [#02259465]
Points: 7846 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



you also can let Ludwig 2.0â„¢ do it for you...
german proggie. you type in some notes set the mood
and style then it creates harmonies around your notes.
it says you have the idea to a song and it finishes it for
you
and does all the dirty work to make it a full song.
havent tried it out yet. full version has midi-export.
read about it in the german "times" last year.


 

offline cuntychuck from Copenhagen (Denmark) on 2008-12-18 07:01 [#02259467]
Points: 8603 Status: Lurker



hi, i make music with my body


 

offline Falito from Balenciaga on 2008-12-18 08:01 [#02259476]
Points: 3974 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



How do you make music?


 

offline ijonspeches from 109P/Swift-Tuttle on 2008-12-18 08:46 [#02259489]
Points: 7846 Status: Lurker | Followup to Falito: #02259476 | Show recordbag



how do you make music?


 

offline larn from PLANET E (United Kingdom) on 2008-12-18 10:30 [#02259518]
Points: 5473 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



a typical night for making music, would be zebra open in
logic, building up synths, and then once i get a few loops
sequenced, i add some rhythm with kontakt (or battery) and
jam with it for a while, i have everything coming out of my
mixer, so i like to have fun with layering up some rhythm,
and bringing things in and out,

then i like to record the rhythm alone, and then i like to
make alterations to the synth module, and play with filters
and other bits, practice then either record it off or make
program changed automations (if it's not too buggy), and
start to put the pieces together. once i got it all sounding
in sync, i'm gunna start to compress bits and try to sort of
eq and levels, i like to make sure i am filling up the
frequencies and not getting any distortion or unwanted
noise. i then record it off and process it further with wave
hammer.

that's just one way i do things to be very brief. mostly
though, i find things by accident, i rarely sit down to
think of a concept first, or put much planning into it.

so it's really like jamming, recording and getting ideas as
i go.


 

offline Zephyr Twin from ΔΔΔ on 2008-12-18 17:58 [#02259589]
Points: 16982 Status: Regular | Followup to b6662966: #02259436 | Show recordbag



I prefer this.


 

offline DirtyPriest from Copenhagen (Denmark) on 2008-12-18 19:46 [#02259627]
Points: 5499 Status: Lurker



Good songs are often painstaiking and with an idea
beforehand.


 

offline hedphukkerr from mathbotton (United States) on 2008-12-18 19:46 [#02259629]
Points: 8833 Status: Regular



i make beautiful music involving a brick and your face.


 

offline oyvinto on 2008-12-19 06:21 [#02259666]
Points: 8197 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



i don't make it, it's being arched via me


 

offline BoxBob-K23 from Finland on 2008-12-19 06:43 [#02259667]
Points: 2440 Status: Regular | Followup to oyvinto: #02259666



your arche is mine!


 


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